Beethoven Wars
Beethoven Wars: A Battle for Peace
An immersive space opera where manga meets Beethoven. Over 100 musicians and singers on stage, a giant 200° screen, one hour to save peace.
At a glance
- Premiere: 23 May 2024, La Seine Musicale (Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris area)
- Duration: 1 hr, no interval
- Audience: recommended for ages 10 and up
- Music: Ludwig van Beethoven, incidental music from King Stephen (Op. 117) and The Ruins of Athens (Op. 113), excerpts from Leonore Prohaska
- On stage: Insula orchestra (period instruments), accentus choir and two soloists
- Visuals: a motion manga projected onto a curved screen over 50 m long and 10 m high
- Album: Beethoven Wars, Warner / Erato, February 2025
The story
On a distant planet, Stephan and Gisèle watch a war-torn world come to an end. Childhood friends who have become the leaders of two enemy peoples, they set out on a space quest that will bring them back to Earth through epic intergalactic battles. Will they succeed in bringing peace and harmony to mankind?
The story is freely inspired by the librettos of Beethoven’s two scores of incidental music, transposed into outer space and the world of seinen manga.
The music
In 1811, Beethoven was commissioned to write incidental music for the opening of the Imperial Theatre in Pest in February 1812: King Stephen and The Ruins of Athens. Their librettos celebrate peace, law, heroism and the arts. Beethoven experimented here with melodrama, combining spoken voice and orchestra.
Laurence Equilbey adds the romance from Leonore Prohaska (1815), with obbligato harp, and the rare sound of the glass harmonica. These forgotten gems regain their full power alongside the images: the music becomes a soundtrack.
The immersive set-up
A team of more than 20 graphic artists created the film, combining seinen manga and space-opera landscapes. It is projected onto a surface more than 50 linear metres long and 10 metres high, surrounding the audience at more than 200°. Five Barco 4K projectors produce a 15K × 2K image.
The structure unfolds inside the hall without altering it: designed for the auditorium of La Seine Musicale, it has been adapted to the venues of the tour.
Creative team & cast
Lead producer: Insula orchestra. Co-production: Le Grand Théâtre de Provence, Liège Royal Philharmonic. Executive production: Les Improductibles. Artistic production: Emilien Dessons. 2D studio: Je Suis Bien Content.
The tour
- 20–21 March 2026 — Liège, Salle Philharmonique. Version performed by the Liège Royal Philharmonic and the Chœur symphonique de Namur, conducted by Luis Castillo-Briceño.
- 27–29 March 2025 — Hong Kong, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Arts Festival. 5 performances. See the event
- 22 March 2025 — Aix-en-Provence, Grand Théâtre de Provence. 2 performances. See the event
- 28 February – 1 March 2025 — Rouen, Théâtre des Arts, Opéra Orchestre Normandie Rouen.
- 23–26 May 2024 — Boulogne-Billancourt, La Seine Musicale. World premiere, 5 performances. See the event
Audiences
Beethoven Wars was designed to open classical music to new audiences. Since its premiere, the show has been performed in Rouen, Aix-en-Provence, Hong Kong and Liège, across France, Belgium and Asia.
Listen & watch
The album — Beethoven Wars, Insula orchestra, accentus, Laurence Equilbey. Warner / Erato, released 28 February 2025. Discover the album
The making-of — Behind the scenes of the creation, in five episodes. Watch the making-of
Photos — The premiere at La Seine Musicale. See the full gallery
Bring Beethoven Wars to your venue
The show tours in two formats: with Insula orchestra and accentus, or with the host venue’s own orchestra and choir, as in Liège in 2026. Touring pack, screen technical rider and terms available on request.
Supported by
Project selected under the France Relance “Investments for the Future” programme, operated by the Caisse des Dépôts. Supported by the French State through the “Augmented Live Performance Experience” scheme of France 2030 (cultural and creative industries), operated by the Caisse des Dépôts.